If you’re into BDSM, or if you like a book that strays off the beaten path, then you’ll like Captive by David Ellis.

Click on the cover to order. Also available in Kindle format.

Story Blurb: Just a few days away from their civil ceremony, Hugo and Ben’s lives couldn’t be more perfect. Hugo is a talented assistant curator at a local art museum, while Ben is a successful advertising executive. Everyone views them as the ‘dream couple’ – with the exception of Ben’s snooty, disapproving mother.

Their long awaited honeymoon vacation to South Africa had finally arrived and it had become everything they’d hoped for. Then on their last day, the two handsome men find themselves lured by adventurous sexual fantasies – surrendering to the temptation of extramarital affairs. Unfortunately for Ben, it costs him his freedom.

Torn apart by a kidnapping, an abductor that wants payment beyond the usual monetary ransom, Hugo’s world is turned upside down as he tries all he can to locate his man.

Slowly, he becomes exposed to a world of crime and BDSM tucked beneath the murky shadows of beautiful Cape Town. But with the help of new friends, Hugo has the strength to remain hopeful and optimistic that he’ll soon see Ben again.

The story of Hugo and Ben will have you continuously guessing as it takes you down the most unexpected paths. This book is a journey of love and heartbreak, with a twist that will literally take your breath away. Be prepared to become ensnared in a mysterious web of intrigue as one man’s search for his husband leads to self-discovery and tragedy.

I have always maintained to anyone who cares to ask that Gerry B’s Book Reviews is an eclectic assortment with something for every taste, and I think Captive, by David Ellis [Tenth Street Press, December 6, 2013] bears this out.

To begin, it is a BDSM story (fairly extreme, I think from my limited perspective), and not my favorite genre; however, that is immaterial to the merits of the book.

The story begins in the sunshine with the ‘Gentlemen’s Quarterly’ couple of Ben and Hugo heading to South Africa for their long awaited honeymoon. Ah, bliss.

However, once there the clouds start rolling in as the story takes a twist to the dark (also somewhat surrealistic) side. In an extra-marital experiment, Ben becomes involved with a cult-like group deeply into hard-core BDSM, and is kidnapped by one of them.

The story then dwells on the erotica that follows while keeping Hugo in the picture as he tries to rescue Ben. Nonetheless, while doing so he finds solace in someone else’s bed.

As I have previously mentioned, BDSM is not my best genre, and so I concentrated on the technical aspects of the story – character development, plot development and delivery, and author’s intent.

Starting with the latter, it appears the author set out to write a ‘shocker’ by taking a very respectable ad exec and throwing him to the ‘wolves’ of a BDSM parlour. In addition, it also appears he set out to please an audience who like homo-erotica generous and raw.

No problem with either.

However, in doing so the BDSM tended to be a bit clinical, and the homo-erotica was a bit overdone. Moreover, I am still wondering what his motive was to create an extra-marital situation so soon after their nuptials. Was this another ‘shock’ element?

The way I read it was as two stories: One intended as shock and awe, and the other to challenge convention. I like stories that are out of the box, but I didn’t think either reached their full potential.

That said, the plot twists are interesting enough to hold your interest.

If you’re into BDSM, or if you like a book that strays off the beaten path, then you’ll like Captive by David Ellis. Three bees.

Recently, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Jamie Lake, author and blogger, on the Jamie Lake Books Blog. Drop around to see what Jamie and I had to discuss, and learn about his books. Click on the above photo to move.

Notice to all those who have requested a book review Thank you for your interest, and my apologies for not responding to your request individually. I’m getting there, but the numbers have been overwhelming. Please extend your patience just a bit longer. Thanks again!

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A must read for those who feel strongly that government should belong to the people.

Click on the above cover to purchase a copy. Also available in Kindle format.

Blurb: Irresponsible Government examines the current state of Canadian democracy in contrast to the founding principles of responsible government established by the Fathers of Confederation in 1867. The book examines the failure of modern elected representatives to perform their constitutionally mandated duty to hold the prime minister and his cabinet to account. It further examines the modern lack of separation between the executive and legislative branches of government and the disregard with which the executive views Parliament. The book seeks to shine light on the current power imbalances that have developed in Canadian government. Through an examination of the foundation principles of our parliamentary system and their subsequent erosion, Irresponsible Government seeks methods through which we can begin to recalibrate and correct these power imbalances and restore electoral accountability.

The surprising thing about this book is that I was teaching this exact same thing 40 years ago, and so nothing much has improved. However, Brent Rathgeber’s perspective, as set out inIrresponsible Government: The Decline of Parliamentary Democracy in Canada [Dundurn Press, September 10, 2014] gives us a look at the dysfunction from the inside out – a view not many of us get.

The dysfunction in the Canadian democratic system begins at the most fundamental level of the process: The election.

An illustration of how the ‘First Past the Post’ electoral system negatively effects people’s choices.

Suppose a constituency has a thousand voters and three candidates to choose from. Now suppose candidate ‘A’ receives 400 votes; candidate ‘B’ receives 350; and candidate ‘C’ receives 250. The way the system operates today, candidate ‘A’ will win with 400 votes, even though 600 voters voted otherwise.

Taking it a step further, once candidate ‘A’ gets to Ottawa or a legislative assembly, however, he or she quickly learns about ‘party-line voting.’ This is the rule whereby everybody votes the party-line whether they like it or not. Otherwise, they risk being ‘uninvited’ from caucus – the one place where they can freely express their views – and also stripped of their party benefits (i.e. office, expenses, campaign funds, etc.) to sit as an independent.

If, perchance, candidate ‘A’ is lucky enough to garner the leader’s favour, and is appointed to the Cabinet, he or she probably knows very little about the portfolio being assumed. Not to worry, however, because the unelected deputy minister does. Therefore, for the first while, and probably throughout ‘A’s’ tenure, the deputy will pull the strings in that ministry. The ultimate consequence of this is that there is a hidden level of ‘government’ that few people know anything about.

The cabinet is a fairly important position, inasmuch as he or she gets to shape policy; however, the extent of that policy depends on the minister’s allotted budget (‘envelope’), which, in turn, is determined by the prime minister (or premier) and his or her ‘inner circle.’ These are the half dozen or so of the PM’s personal favourites who surround him most of the time, and it is these who have the last word in shaping policy that will govern us. Input, therefore, has gone from 308 members (as it was intended) to a handful.

This is just a thumbnail of how the democratic process has been usurped by designing prime ministers, from Diefenbaker to Harper, but the dysfunction goes much deeper. To almost every nook and cranny on Parliament Hill, and this Rathgeber shine some light on in a non-academic way.

It is a must read for those who feel strongly that government should be ‘by and for the people,’ and that deviation from this has dangerous consequences. Five bees for the courage to stand up for the right, and for an interesting insight into the mis-workings of government. Bravo!

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Interested in Canadian history?

Want to know more? Then visit my new page: In Praise of Canadian History. It is a collection of people, facts and events in Canadian history, and includes a bibliography of interesting Canadian books as well. Latest post: Wayne & Shuster : The comedy kings of Canada…

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A lusty romp through Ancient Rome.

In AD 107, after a grueling campaign against Rome’s fierce enemy, the kingdom of Dacia, Gaius Fabius returns home in triumph. With the bloody battles over, the commander of the Lucky IV Legion now craves life’s simple pleasures: leisurely soaks in fragrant baths, over-flowing cups of wine, and a long holiday at his seaside villa to savor his pleasure slaves. On a whim, he purchases a spirited young Dacian captive and unwittingly sparks a fresh outbreak of the Dacian war; an intimate struggle between two sworn enemies with love and honor at stake.

Allerix survived the wars against Rome, but now he is a slave rather than a victor. Worse, the handsome general who led the destruction of his people now commands his body. When escape appears impossible, Alle struggles to find a way to preserve his dignity and exact vengeance upon the savage Romans. Revenge will be his, that is, if he doesn’t lose his heart to his lusty Roman master.

Dominus is a plot-packed erotic fantasy that transports readers back to ancient Rome during the reign of the Emperor Trajan. This is the first book in an alternate history series—a tumultuous journey filled with forbidden love, humor, sex, friendship, political intrigue, deception and murder.

One of the genres I enjoy now and then is a well-written recounting of Ancient Roman society. By all reports they were lusty, hedonistic society, and over-the-top in just about everything they did. That’s one thing that drew me to Dominus by JP Kenwood [JPK Publishing , April 21, 2014] – That and the beautifully illustrated cover.

There is some quite clever writing here, and some not.

I like the opening business, whereby a group of modern archaeologists discover an anomaly during an Italian dig, and pursuing it they then find a full mystery – two undisturbed skeletons and a dagger.

Now, to me a modern-day find is only half the story. The larger part of it is the ‘who,’ ‘when,’ and ‘why?’ So an opening of this kind is bound to grab people’s interest.

Dacia map cf. Ptolemy (2nd century AD)

The story then flashes back to 107 AD with an introduction to Dominus (keeper of the pleasure slaves of Gaius Fabius Rufus) and Maximus (a former pleasure slave, but now a freedman), and of course, Gaius himself (celebrated conqueror of Dracia – a branch of Thracians north of the Haemus range, later Romania.)

The next nice bit of business is the purchase by Gaius Fabius of Allerix, a Dracian slave. One could almost see where this was going, but the tension created by pitting enemies together in one bed is well worth it. Moreover, it is a builder that works right up to the climax (…of the story).

I also admired how she worked the settings and juggled a large cast of characters without losing their identities. All very nicely done.

On the other hand, the gratuitous use of expletives – particular since they were mostly of modern derivation – detracted from the credibility of time and setting. Likewise, there were several other examples of modern terminology that just didn’t belong in the 1st century AD.

I got lost a couple of times as well, where I had to turn back and find out who was speaking. Now granted, I speed read. I must to get all the novels in that I choose to review, but since others have mentioned this same point, I am not alone in pointed it out.

A good effort, and shortcomings aside this has a good story line and interesting characters. Three and one-half bees.

Notice to all those who have requested a book review Thank you for your interest, and my apologies for not responding to your request individually. I’m getting there, but the numbers have been overwhelming. Please extend your patience just a bit longer. Thanks again!

Thanks for dropping by! I’ll have another novel ready for next week, same URL, so drop back soon.

A must-read for students, and a should-read for others.

Click on the cover to purchase.

Story blurb: In arresting, but harrowing, prose, James Daschuk examines the roles that Old World diseases, climate, and, most disturbingly, Canadian politics—the politics of ethnocide—played in the deaths and subjugation of thousands of aboriginal people in the realization of Sir John A. Macdonald’s “National Dream.”

It was a dream that came at great expense: the present disparity in health and economic well-being between First Nations and non-Native populations, and the lingering racism and misunderstanding that permeates the national consciousness to this day.

About the author: My research focus is on the impact of environmental change on the health of indigenous people. My historical work investigates the role of disease, changes to subsistence practices and climate change in the historical development of western Canada. My current research projects include the impact of introduced species, horses and domestic cattle, on the well-being of First Nations.

Recent Publications

James Daschuk, Paul Hackett and Scott D. MacNeil, “Treaties and Tuberculosis: First Nations People in Late 19th Century Western Canada, A Political and Economic Transformation.” Canadian Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 23 (2006): 307-330.

James Daschuk, “An Examination of Common and Contested Ground: A Human and Environmental History of the Northwestern Plains.” In G.P Marchildon, ed., The Early Northwest: History of the Prairie West Series. Volume 1. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center, 2008. 35-47

James Daschuk, “A Dry Oasis: The Northern Great Plains in Late Prehistory,” Prairie Forum 34(Spring 2009).

As most everyone knows, my passions are 1) Canada, 2) Canadian history, 3) history, and 4) everything else. When I was going to school, right through my university days, Canadian history was colonial history, i.e., a sub-category of English history, populated by kings and generals and dry as chalk.

Unfortunately, with the exception of people like James Dashuk and a few others, Pierre Burton comes to mind, very little has changed. However, now the focus is on multicultural history, and once again Canadian heritage history is being brushed aside.

It is not to say Canadian history hasn’t been without its dark side, which James Dashuk so capably points out in Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal life [University of Regina Press, August 1, 2014].

An actual pile of buffalo skulls. Slaughtering the buffalo was part of a plan to starve the Natives off the land.

In it, Dashuk presents an indictment of meticulously researched evidence to show that the catastrophes visited on many of the Native People were state sanctioned. That is to say that John A. MacDonald, his government, speculators, and lobbyists like the Canadian Pacific Railway, indulged in systematic starvation, as well as the spread of infectious diseases to eradicate ‘the Native problem’ on the western prairies.

I will not take any examples out of context, for they are best read along with the supporting evidence; however, suffice to say that Dashuk presents a very compelling case with scalpel-like precision.

A word must be said for the writing style, as well. This is an academic treatise, to be sure, and yet it is readily readable by the average person with an average vocabulary. Indeed, the author’s prose is as precise as his topics he presents.

However, I will also add a caveat to those who would attempt to apply these ‘atrocities’ to the Canada of today, or to Canadians of the assign blame to future generations – As Stephen Harper did regarding the poll tax of the 1880s (imposed by John A. MacDonald, by the way)

We can justifiably accuse the governments and people who participated, now dead, but the crimes of our ‘forefathers’ do not appropriately apply to the seventh generation.

This is a great book: A must read for students, and a should-read for others. Five bees in the nonfiction category.

Notice to all those who have requested a book review Thank you for your interest, and my apologies for not responding to your request individually. I’m getting there, but the numbers have been overwhelming. Please extend your patience just a bit longer. Thanks again!

Thanks for dropping by! I’ll have another novel ready for next week, same URL, so drop back soon.